????鮑爾默聲稱的根本性轉變不是夸大其辭。我們在2012年的微軟身上幾乎已經看不到20世紀90年代末期時微軟的影子。正如鮑爾默承認的那樣，微軟已經屈服于其最強大的競爭對手所建立的商業模式。如今的微軟不再是行業的領頭者，而成為了追隨者。微軟身上再也看不到當年壟斷時的霸氣。它經過37年的發展，現在開始學著向部分開發商開放了源代碼，友好對待外界。

????既然鮑爾默已經徹底走出了比爾?蓋茨的陰影，那么他能成功嗎？這是一個大問題。作為CEO，鮑爾默當然得為過失承擔主要責任。據說微軟的公司文化已經支離破碎、毫無組織、有時甚至殘酷無比。微軟每一次小小的成功之后（微軟的必應搜索在市場占有率達到了四分之一），都有一次令人失望的挫敗（Windows Phone 7 在智能手機市場的占有率持續下滑）。每一臺Kinect背后，都有一臺Zune。

????然而，這些產品都沒有Windows 8這么重要。目前為止，這款新產品的大體反響還算不錯，盡管有些用戶似乎被全新的界面搞得暈頭轉向。不過一切都還沒有見分曉。Windows 8能否成功將在很大程度上決定史蒂夫?鮑爾默所領導的微軟將走向何方：是成為云經濟時代的領袖，還是成為比爾?蓋茨創立的微軟的一個謙和有禮、但是碌碌無為的不肖子。

????譯者：嚴匡正

????The fundamental shift Ballmer speaks of isn't corporate hyperbole. The Microsoft of the late 1990s wouldn't recognize the Microsoft of 2012. Because, as Ballmer acknowledged, Microsoft has capitulated to a business model created by its greatest rival. It's not an industry leader, it's a follower now. It's not anything like the monopolistic bully it once was. It's as friendly to open standards as it's been in its 37-year history.

????Now that Ballmer has fully stepped out of the shadow of Bill Gates, will he succeed? That's the big question. As CEO, Ballmer has certainly made his own share of missteps. The corporate culture inside Microsoft is often said to be fragmented, disorganized and sometimes cutthroat. And for every modest success Microsoft has seen (Bing searches account for a quarter of the total market), there is a disappointing setback (Windows Phone 7 has seen its share of the smartphone market shrinking). For every Kinect, there is a Zune.

????None of those products, however, will matter as much as Windows 8 will. So far, the new software is winning mixed-to-positive reviews, although some users seem confused by the new interface. Much hangs in the balance: The success of Windows 8 will largely determine whether Steve Ballmer's Microsoft can become a leader in the cloud economy, or whether it's just a kinder, gentler -- but impotent -- successor to the company Bill Gates built.